AP Psych Unit 5 *all modules

health psychology

a sub-field of psychology that explores the impact of psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors on health and wellness

psychoneuroimmunology

the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect our immune system and resulting health

eustress

experiencing stress in a positive and motivating way

distress

experiencing stress in a negative and debilitating way

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging

adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

abuse or other traumas which can influence long-term stress responses and negatively impact healthy and well-being

Lewin’s motivational conflicts theory

when making decisions, individuals often face conflicts between different options: approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, and approach-avoidance

approach and avoidance motives

the drive to move toward (approach) or away from (avoid) a stimulus

approach-approach conflict

choosing between two attractive options

avoid-avoid conflict

choosing between two undesirable alternatives

approach-avoid conflict

feeling simultaneously attracted and repelled

flight-fright-freeze response

how the body responds to perceived threats

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases — alarm, resistance, exhaustion

alarm reaction

when your sympathetic nervous system is suddenly activated and your heart rate zooms as blood is diverted to your skeletal muscles

resistance

your temperature, blood pressure, and respiration remain high, and your endocrine system pumps epinephrine and nor-epinephrine into your bloodstream

exhaustion

you become vulnerable to illness or collapse and death

tend-and-befriend response

under stress, people (especially women) may nurture themselves and others (tend) and blond with and seek support from others (befriend)

coping

alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods

problem-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress directly — by changing the stressor or the way we interact with the stressor

emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction

learned helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation humans and other animals learn when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

external locus of control

the perception that outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate

internal locus of control

the perception that we control our own fate

positive psychology

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of promoting strengths and virtues that foster well-being, resilience, and positive emotions, and that help individuals and communities thrive

subjective well-being

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life. used along with measures of objective well-being (for example, physical and economic indicators) to evaluate people’s quality of life

relative deprivation

the perception that we are worse off relative to those with whom we compare ourselves

mindfulness meditation

a reflective practice in which people attend to current experiences in a nonjudgmental and accepting manner

gratitude

an appreciative emotion people often experience when they benefit from other’s actions or recognize their own good fortune

psychological disorder

a disturbance in peoples thoughts, emotions, or behaviors that causes distress or suffering and impairs their daily lives

taijin kyofusho

fear that others are judging their bodies as undesirable, offensive, or unpleasing

diathesis-stress model

the concept that genetic predispositions (diathesis) combine with environmental stressors (stress) to influence psychological disorder

epigenetics

“above” or “in addition to” (epi) genetics; the study of the molecular mechanisms by which environments can influence genetic expression (without a DNA change)

anxiety disorders

a group of disorders characterized by excessive fear and anxiety and related maladaptive behaviors

social anxiety disorder

intense fear and avoidance of social situations

generalized anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

panic disorder

an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minute-long episodes of intense dread in which a person may experience terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations; often followed by worry over a possible next attack

panic attack

a sudden episode of intense fear, often accompanied by physical symptoms which overwhelms and frightens even without any real danger

ataque de nervios

cultural bound anxiety disorder mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean, characterized by intense emotional distress and physical symptoms

agoraphobia

fear or avoidance of situations, such as crowds or wide open places, where one may experience a loss of control and panic

specific phobia

an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation

obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both

obsessive thoughts

unwanted and seemingly unending thoughts

compulsions

behaviors that are the response to the obsessive thoughts

hoarding disorder

a persistent difficulty parting with possessions, regardless of their value

posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

a disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, hyper-vigilance, avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lingers for 4 weeks or more after a traumatic experience

trauma-and-stressor-related disorders

a group of disorders in which exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is followed by psychological distress

depressive disorders

a group of disorders characterized by an enduring sad, empty, or irritable mood, along with physical and cognitive changes that affect a person’s ability to function

bipolar disorders

a group of disorders in which a person alternates between hopelessness and lethargy of depression and that overexcited state of mania (formerly called manic-depressive disorder)

major depressive disorder

a disorder in which a person experiences five or more symptoms lasting two or more weeks, in the absence of drug use for a medical condition, at least one of which must be either a (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure

persistent depressive disorder

a disorder in which people experience a depressed mood on more days than not for at least 2 years (formerly called dysthymia)

bipolar I disorder

the most severe form, in which people experience a euphoric, talkative, highly energetic, and overly ambitious state that lasts a week or longer

mania

a hyperactive, widely optimistic state in which dangerously poor judgment is common

bipolar II disorder

a less severe form of bipolar in which people move between depression and milder hypomania

schizophrenia spectrum disorders

a group of disorders characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking or speech, disorganized or unusual motor behavior, and negative symptoms (such as diminished emotional expression); includes schizophrenia and schizotypal personality disorder

psychotic disorders

a group of disorders marked by irrational ideas, distorted perceptions, and a loss of contact with reality

hallucinations

seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, or smelling things that exist only in the mind

delusions

a false belief, often a persecution of grandeur, that may accompany psychotic disorders

disorganized speech

also known as word salad, when words are jumbled together and make no sense

disorganized motor behavior

unusual and purposeless movements, such as childlike silliness, agitation, or repetitive actions, that disrupt daily activities

catatonia

restlessness, agitation and compulsive movements (excitement)

stupor

motionlessness

positive symptoms

inappropriate behaviors are present

negative symptoms

appropriate behaviors are absent

chronic schizophrenia

(also called process schizophrenia)a form of schizophrenia in which symptoms usually appear by late adolescence or early adulthood. as people age, psychotic episodes last longer and recovery periods shorten

acute schizophrenia

(also called reactive schizophrenia) a form of schizophrenia that can begin at any age; frequently occurs in response to a traumatic event, and from which recovery is much more likely

dissociative disorders

a controversial, rare group of disorders characterized by a disruption of discontinuity in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, and behavior

fugue state

a sudden loss of memory or change and identity, often in response to an overwhelmingly stressful situation

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities. (formerly called multiple personality disorder

dissociative amnesia

a disorder in which people with intact brains reportedly experience memory gaps; people with dissociative amnesia may report not remembering trauma related specific events, people, places, or aspects of their identity and life history

paranoid personality disorder

suspiciousness; distrust of others

schizoid personality disorder

social detachment; limited emotional expression

schizotypal personality disorder

intense social discomfort; distorted cognitions or perceptions; behavioral eccentricity

antisocial personality disorder

indifference to (and willingness to violate) others rights; impulsiveness; criminal behavior

borderline personality disorder

impulsivity; unstable relationships and self-image

histrionic personality disorder

extreme emotional expression; a need for attention

narcissistic personality disorder

grandiosity; admiration seeking behavior; deficient empathy

avoidant personality disorder

social inhibition; feeling inadequate; sensitivity to criticism

dependent personality disorder

submissive behavior; emotional neediness

obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

a fixation on orderliness; the need for perfection and control

antisocial personality disorder

a personality disorders in which a person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscious for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members; may be aggressive and ruthless or a clever con artist

feeding and eating disorders

a group of disorders characterized by altered consumption or absorption of food that impairs health or psychological functioning. (feeding disorders typically occur in infants and young children, whereas eating disorders affect people who self feed)

anorexia nervosa

an eating disorders in which a person (usually an adolescent female) maintains a starvation diet despite being significantly underweight, and has an inaccurate self-perception; sometimes accompanied by excessive exercise

bulimia nervosa

an eating disorder in which a person’s binge eating (usually of high-calorie foods) is followed by inappropriate weight-loss promoting behavior, such as vomiting, laxative use, fasting, or excessive exercise

neurodevelopmental disorders

central nervous system abnormalities (usually in the brain) that start in childhood and alter thinking and behavior (an in intellectual limitations or a psychological disorder)

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by limitations and communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

a psychological disorder marked by extreme inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity

psychotropic drug therapies

drugs that are prescribed to treat mental health disorders, such as antidepressants, anti-psychotics, and mood stabilizers

deinstitutionlization

the process, begun of the late 20th century, of moving people with psychological disorders out of institutional facilities

decentralized ways

combining medication and psychological therapies and outpatient or inpatient community-based facilities to help treat people with chronic mental illnesses

psychotherapy

treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth

eclectic approach

an approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy

psychoanalysis

(1) Frued’s theory of personality that attributes thought and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious tension. (2) Sigmund Frued’s therapeutic technique. Freud believed the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transference—and the analyst’s interpretations of them— released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight

repression

things we do not want to know, so we disavow or deny them

insight

gaining consciousness of thoughts and feelings through the origins of their disorders

free association

a psychoanalytic technique where a patient relaxes and says whatever comes to mind, unfiltered, to explore unconscious thoughts and feelings

psychodynamic therapy

therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition; views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self-insight

person-centered therapy

a humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, in which the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within an accepting, genuine, empathetic environment to facilitate clients’ growth. (also called client-centered therapy)

active listening

empathetic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and seeks clarification. a feature of Rogers’ person-centered therapy

unconditional positive regard

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance (also known as unconditional regard)

behavior therapy

therapy that uses learning principles to reduce unwanted behaviors